AN ISLAND GARDEN HI 



blossoming Lilies, and among the azure spikes I 

 hung the pretty cradle where the sunbeams lay 

 hottest and brightest on the flowers. The wind, 

 grown balmy and mild, rocked the tall flower- 

 spikes gently, the basket swayed with them, and 

 the heat was so reviving that the dear little crea- 

 ture presently opened his eyes and quietly looked 

 about him. At that my heart rejoiced. It was 

 delightful to watch his slow return to his old self 

 as I still went on with my work, looking continu- 

 ally toward him to see how he was getting on. 

 The ardent sunbeams sent fresh life through him ; 

 suddenly he rose, an emerald spark, into the air, 

 and quivered among the blue flowers, diving deep 

 into each winged blossom for his breakfast of 

 honey. 



All day and every day he haunts the garden, 

 and when tired rests contentedly on the small twig 

 of a dry pea-stick near the Larkspurs. The rosy 

 Peas blossom about him, the Hollyhock flowers 

 unfold in glowing pink with lace-like edges of 

 white ; the bees hum there all day in and out of 

 the many flowers; the butterflies hover and waver 

 and wheel. When one comes too near him, up 

 starts my beauty and chases him away on bur- 

 nished wings, away beyond the garden's bounds, 

 and returns to occupy his perch in triumph, the 

 dry twig he has taken for his home the whole 

 sweet summer long. Other humming-birds haunt 

 the place, but he belongs there ; they go and come, 

 but he keeps to his perch and his Larkspurs faith- 

 fully. He is so tame he never stirs from his twig 

 for anybody, no matter how near a person may 



